Gear for supporting and launching life-rafts.



No. 825,917. PATENTED JULY 17, 1906.

H. J. MATSON. GEAR FOR SUPPORTING AND LAUNGHING LIFE RAFTS.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 22. 1905.

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HARRY JOSEPH MATSON, OF HAVRE, FRANCE.

GEAR FOR SUPPORTING AND LAUNCHING LlFE-RAFTS- Specification of Letters latent.

Patented July 17, 1906.

Application file. December 22, 1905. Serial No. 292,889.

To all whom, it HMLZ/ concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRY JOSEPH MAT- SON, a citizen of the French Republic, and a resident of Havre, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gear for Supporting and Launching Lifelt-afts, (for which I have filed applications for patents in Great Britain, No. 13,900, dated July 5, 1905, and in Germany on July 27, 1905;) and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to improved gear for sup orting and launching life-rafts from ships ecks, the same being simple in construction and not likely to get out of order and being specially designed to permit of the instant launching of a number of life-rafts and to only require the operation of a single hand-wheel or the like for the purpose.

On the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation, partly in section, of the improved launching-gear arranged on a ships deck with a raft in position. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the gear, and Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof.

The launching-gear comprises a framework consisting of slde standards a and crossties a, which support inclined guide-rails b, the lower ends of which depend over the edge of the ships deck 0. Transversely of the framework and mounted in suitable end bea'r ings is arranged a shaft d, to which are fixed two triggers d and a central arm (1 The arm is formed with a lug d, which is adapted to engage witha catch i on the raft to insure its launching, and is also formed with a depression d in its lower edge, in which engage the joint-connected ends of two strutted legs e and an adjustable locking-link The strutted legs are pivoted at their lower ends to a plate 9*, mounted on the deck. The adjustable link f is provided at its lower end with an eye f which is adapted to be engaged by a transversely-arranged lockingbolt 9, which works in guides g g g The locking-bolt is connected at g" to an operating-rod h, which works in guides 71, W, and is connected to a bifurcated link 71., which is provided at its free end with a screw-threaded portion 71 which is engaged b an internally-screw-threaded worm-whee mounted in a bearing h and adapted to be turned by a worm h and hand-wheel h 1'. represents a raft adapted to be launched broadwise onto the water. It is provided on its lower side with runners i, which engage the grooved rails b, and on its u per side with pulleysif for lashing-chains. T e raft when 1n positlon on the guide rails is secured against being washed away by the waves or being otherwise dislodged by lashing-chains j, each of which is secured to the deck at y" and passes through a hole I) in one guide-rail and is connected to a hook (i on the shaft d.

The operation of the device is as follows: l/Vhen it is desired to release the raft, the hand-wheel b is operated so as to act upon the rod h and bolt 9 and withdraw the latter from the eye in the adjustable locking-link f, whereupon the strutted legs fall forward and allow t also the triggers d and the lug d to strike against the catch i on the raft and-the hooks d to disengage themselves from the ends of the chains, so as to release the raft and cause it to run down the inclined rails into the sea. A plurality of the launching-gears each with a raft thereon may be arranged at the edge of the ships deck, in which case the operatingrod h can be connected to each one of the series of gears, so as to launch all the rafts simultaneously.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In gear for supporting and launching a life-raft, in combination, inclined guide-rails, means for supporting said rails, a rotatable shaft mounted in suitable bearings transversely of and'below said rails, triggers fast on said shaft for supporting the raft, and releasable means for controlling the rotation of said shaft, as set forth.

2. In gear for supporting and launching a life-raft, in combination, inclined guide-rails, means for supporting said rails, a rotatable shaft mounted in suitable bearings transversely of and below said rails, triggers fast on said shaft for supporting the shaft, an arm also fast on said shaft for controlling its rotation, and means for releasably supporting said arm, as set forth.

3. In gear for supporting and launching a life-raft, in combination, inclined guide-rails, means for supporting said rails, a rotatable shaft mounted in suitable bearings trans- .versely of and below said rails, triggers fast on said shaft for supporting the raft, an arm also fast on said shaft for controlling its rotation, strutted legs pivotally mounted at their lower ends, an adjustable locking-link jointconnected at its upper end to the upper ends e arm d and shaft (1 to rotate and of said legs, said legs and link serving to sup- I port said arm, and a withdrawable bolt serving to secure the locking-link at its lower end, as set forth.

4. In gear for supporting and launching a life-raft, in combination, inclined guide-rails, means for supporting said rails, a rotatable shaft mounted in suitable bearings transversely of and below said rails, triggers fast on said shaft for supporting the raft, an arm also fast on said shaft for controlling its rotation, strutted legs pivotally mounted at their lower ends, an adjustable locking-link j ointconnected at its upper end to the upper ends of said legs, said legs and link serving to support said arm, a withdrawable bolt serving to secure the locking-link at its lower end, a guided rod connected to said locking-bolt, and a bifurcated link connected at one end to saidrod and provided at the other end with a screw-threaded part which is operable by a hand-wheel, as set forth. I

5. In gear for supporting and launching a life-raft, in combination, inclined guide-rails, means for supporting said rails, a rotatable shaft mounted in suitable bearings transversely of and below said rails, triggers fast .on said shaft for supporting the raft, a lug fast on said shaft for impelling the raft, and releasable means for controlling the rotation of said shaft, as set forth.

6. In gear for supporting and launching a life-raft, in combination, inclined guide-rails, means for supporting said rails, a rotatable shaft mounted in suitable "bearings trans- Versely of and below said rails,""triggersfast on said shaft for supporting the raft, hooks fast on said shaft, adjustable raft-lashing chains each made fast at one end to asuitable base and engageable at its other end by one of said hooks, and releasable means for controlling the rotation of said shaft, as set forth.

7 7. In gear for supporting and launching a life-raft,'in combination, inclined guide-rails, means for supporting said rails, a rotatable shaft mounted in suitable bearings transversely of and below said rails, triggers fast on said shaft for supporing the raft, a lug fast on said shaft for impelling the raft, hooks fast on said shaft, adjustable raft-lashing chains each made fast atone end to a suitable base and engageable at its other end by one of said hooks, and releasable means for controlling the rotation of said shaft, as set forth.

8. In gear for supporting and launching a plurality of life-rafts simultaneously, in comination, a plurality of guide-rails suitably supported, a rotatable shaft mounted in suitable bearings transversely of and below each pair of said rails, triggers fast on each said shaft for supporting said rafts, and means for controlling the rotation of each said shaft, said latter means being connected together and simultaneously operable by a common operating-rod, as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the resence of two witnesses.

ARRY JOSEPH MATSON.

, Witnesses:

DANIEL PARKINS, J. P. BEEGHER. 

